I followed the conventional road to success – to finish college, get my MBA and join a technological business – but after four years in the same work, I felt trapped.
I live and work in India. When the pandemic struck in 2020, our office became completely distant and for the first time, I felt a certain feeling of freedom.
So I stayed at work for three more years, but everything changed when they reminded us of the office.
I was independent well before leaving my job full -time
Working at home was better than working in the office, but I was still unhappy, so I decided to give a chance of independent writing like a stampede.
The first ghost writing projects that I obtained from Facebook groups paid $ 0.01 per word, but I really appreciated my new stampede for care.
Little by little, after about six months, I obtained technical writing concerts which paid up to $ 0.10 per word – a big jump up to $ 0.10.
I finally obtained my very first signature at the beginning of 2021 during a game publication, where I won around $ 18 per article.
These clips helped me get my first big break in mid-2010, when I became a regular contributor to a “how” technology website where I was paid $ 100 per article on average.
The RTO mandate brought me to a crossroads
By 2023, I was used to a distant lifestyle and I even changed the cities to move in with my partner.
So, when I heard murmurs on RTO’s mandate, leaving my job has become more than pious wishes.
It seemed cool in my head, but moving away from a substantial pay check – compared to what I was doing as a freelancer – was not easy.
However, when RTO’s mandate became official, I did an act of faith and I left in January 2023. This helped that I had a partner with a well -paid job that could help with finances.
In mid-2023, I bought another stable customer in a large technological publication, as a writer of PC equipment.
Thanks to this, I crossed my first important step at the end of 2023 – winning around $ 2,000 per month, about twice as much as the one I had won from my business work.
The full time freelance gave me the mental space that I did not know that I was missing
The flexibility of being a freelancer meant that I worked around 25 hours per week instead of 40 years.
I loved starting the morning at my own pace and having my daily coffee in peace before working on the articles of the day.
I also spent more time with my partner, taking advantage of sport and games on PC and making international family trips.
It took a year of full -time freelance to feel installed
Everything was set up in the first half of 2024, about a year after starting to work full time.
I had increased my production on my two main customers and had brought my income to $ 3,000 per month.
Around mid-2024, however, I suffered a hard blow. I was released by one of my main customers. I always had the other concert, however, and the blow turned out to be a disguised blessing.
With this additional time, I started writing more for the wider technology website. At the end of 2024, I earned an average of $ 5,000 per month.
I should have left my business work earlier
If my unusual career path taught me something, it is because I should not have waited for years to combine two of my biggest passions – writing and technology.
Sometimes you don’t know what you really want until an event that changes your life opens your eyes on it.
I guess what I was missing in my business work was not money, but freedom.
I will never go back to the office, even in a hybrid role – I cherish my current lifestyle too much to even consider it.
businessinsider